[PGT] Predators def. Flames, 5-3

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by timbit

He made more big saves tonight than the Vezina winner last season.

Rinne is still sitting pretty at .929 sv% whereas Smith is sitting at .883 sv%. One guy has earned the right to have the occasional off game whereas Smith has had 4 to 5 below average games out of 6. I know he won yesterday’s game, but also did luck out on some posts and the disallowed goal. He needs to be way better right now for us if we want to got anywhere.

I haven’t liked his game this entire 2018 calendar year and if this is what we can expect most games, then I think Rittich should be playing every other game as the team’s #1B.

[Poe969]

Originally Posted by AC

Smith had some great saves tonight, I didn't like the last goal seeing it live but I haven't seen a good replay of the shot.

The first 3 were really bad defensive mistakes, don't think Smith can be blamed for any of those.

Smith can't be blamed but he can't get credit for stepping up for the team and that's what good goalies do. Every time a defender makes a mistake, it shouldn't lead to a goal. Good goalies find ways to cover up some gaffes by the defensemen, Smith just doesn't make those saves. On average shots he's ok, when someone makes a mistake and a shooter has a great chance it usually ends up being a goal. Successful teams have goalies who can steal games and that isn't Smith.

As for shutout, every once in a while a good player plays great...or an average player plays good.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by kevman

Agreed. Unfortunately, I'm not worried about one game. I'm worried about a goalie with one of the worst save percentages in the league and a team among the worst in the league in keeping the puck out of the net. So if it's not Smith, it's the defense. If Smith is the answer, how do we shore up the defense?

Allow Hanifin, Valimaki and Anderssen to mature properly while Gio leads.

Hopefully TJ , Stone and Hamonic (when he returns) help carry the load a lot better than they have up to this point.

IMO, TJ was a far bigger problem than Smith tonight.

[1qqaaz]

For those who are defending Smith, how putrid do you think the Flames' defense is?
You can't use "defensive breakdowns" as an excuse for every single game in which Smith lets in 4+ goals.
The Flames have decent defense. Do you watch other teams play? All teams have breakdowns. Most have just as many breakdowns as the Flames.

Sure, 3 of the goals tonight would have been tough to save. But do you really think goalies like Price, Bobrovsky, Holtby or Gibbons would not have saved at least 2 of those?
This is the NHL. Goalies should be expected to make at least a couple of very strong saves every game.

Smith has been far from good this year. Luckily, Rittich looks promising.
The Flames should start giving him more starts.

[AC]

Originally Posted by Poe969

Smith can't be blamed but he can't get credit for stepping up for the team and that's what good goalies do. Every time a defender makes a mistake, it shouldn't lead to a goal. Good goalies find ways to cover up some gaffes by the defensemen, Smith just doesn't make those saves. On average shots he's ok, when someone makes a mistake and a shooter has a great chance it usually ends up being a goal. Successful teams have goalies who can steal games and that isn't Smith.

As for shutout, every once in a while a good player plays great...or an average player plays good.

I don't necessarily agree. The Preds had another 2-on-1 soon after the Rinaldo goal and it looked like Smith made a nice save on the slapper. If the Flames win with Smith making no other saves after that moment, suddenly the narrative is that Smith made the big stop on that 2nd 2-on-1 when needed to keep the team within 1.

He made several big saves earlier in the game that allowed us to tie the game multiple times.

I'm not crazy about Smith as our number one either, but I find he also gets blamed more than he should. He's certainly not good enough for this team to do any damage.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Poe969

Smith can't be blamed but he can't get credit for stepping up for the team and that's what good goalies do.
As for shutout, every once in a while a good player plays great...or an average player plays good.

I think we should ride Rittich for a game or two. The sad part is the stat line of both Parsons and Gilles

Gilles - .831 and 5.06 GAA

Parsons - .767 and 6.91 GAA

[AC]

Smith in NYR, and Rittich in MTL?

Rittich was great last year in Montreal.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Sure, 3 of the goals tonight would have been tough to save. But do you really think goalies like Price, Bobrovsky, Holtby or Gibbons would not have saved at least 2 of those?

Not 100% of the time but in many cases yes.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Rinne is still sitting pretty at .929 sv% whereas Smith is sitting at .883 sv%. One guy has earned the right to have the occasional off game whereas Smith has had 4 to 5 below average games out of 6. I know he won yesterday’s game, but also did luck out on some posts and the disallowed goal. He needs to be way better right now for us if we want to got anywhere.

I haven’t liked his game this entire 2018 calendar year and if this is what we can expect most games, then I think Rittich should be playing every other game as the team’s #1B.

Yet, Smith has outplayed Rinne head to head twice already this season, IMO.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by AC

Smith in NYR, and Rittich in MTL?

Rittich was great last year in Montreal.

Rittich for both.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by kevman

This is the problem. The Flames are below average at keeping the puck out of the net. If Smith is in fact an above average goalie, that puts the defense well below average. If the defense is in fact above average, that puts Smith well below average. So what is it?

The Flames are a pretty average defensive team with above average upside. We’re a top 10 team in shots allowed and have strong advanced stat metrics. Like every team, breakdowns happen and chances are given up. But based on his 2017 performance, he’s playing well below expectations for this entire 2018 calendar year. Ever since that 5 day break in January, his game has been wildly inconsistent.

2018 sv% = .907
2017 sv% = .920

2017 Mike Smith was elite, 2018 Mike Smith has been below average with basically the same team.

[Flash Walken]

I don't know if TJ has 'recovered' at all

Andersson is really making a case to stay in the lineup.

[Phaneufenstein]

Smith wasn’t the reason we lost the game.
The goal by Rinaldo was actually a really good shot.
Give the other team credit, they kept taking the lead and eventually got the win.
Saros was huge and the Flames wasted a bunch of chances.
Refs sure didn’t help either with the non-calls.
Flames played a good enough game to win, but lost to a pretty good motivated team
On to the next one.

[Huntingwhale]

Smith has always been a concern the day the season started. Veteran goalies on the last year of their contract have always faltered with the Flames. Smith, Ramo, Hiller, Elliott and even Kipper. Goes back even before to Cujo and Macdonald. This drop off from Smith's play this season comes as no surprise to me and I'm certain BT feels the same. Nothing sinks a team faster then a veteran goalie whose play falls off a cliff. Flames need to fix the problem ASAP if they hope utilize their window to contend this season. I thought it was a bad coaching decision to not play Rittich after his win. It should no longer be a case of Smith being the #1G and Rittch the backup. It should be a 1A/1B situation in net. No more of this riding Smith as the #1 and depending on him.

I like Smith and really want him to do well. But other poster are correct; this team isn't going anywhere with him in net.

[MisterJoji]

Of the four goals scored on Smith, you have to think an all star caliber goalie stops at least one of them. Yes, they were all really good shots but Price, Varlamov, Gibson, Vasilevsky ... guys like that, they give you some of those phenomenal saves that rallies a team. Smith doesn’t give you those anymore, or at the very least, very very infrequently. Game 2, that’s the last time he had one. He can save average shots all game long but he’s not a difference maker anymore, like he was in Arizona. He can’t single handily win you a game that you need sometimes.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by timbit

Yet, Smith has outplayed Rinne head to head twice already this season, IMO.

What’s your point exactly?

Smith > Rinne?

Rinne performance is not what’s in question here. It’s about Smith’s performances. Guy just hasn’t been up to par since the 5 day break in January.

2017 Smith = .920
2018 Smith = .907

That’s a gigantic drop off when you consider it’s the same team we’re comparing with roughly the same sample size.



EDIT: Actually im giving him a break: When you compare his game before and after the 5 day break. The contrast is even more stark.

Pre 5 day break = .924 sv%
Post 5 day break = .896 sv%

I’d argue that one looked like a Vezina candidate and since, the other one has looked scary bad. You can’t win a lot of games with a .896 goaltender.

[timbit]

My point was that he was NOT the reason the Flames lost tonight.

Nothing more and nothing less.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by AC

2 blatant highsticks late, including on Gaudreau who had the puck. Linesmen can call highsticks too, so all 4 officials missed both?

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

The team is fun to watch this year, but it must be hard seeing that hard work just given away occasionally on the back end. If I was Peters I would have lost my mind watching Brodie on the second goal.

Treliving has some decisions to make regarding a number one goalie and whether he wants to keep shoehorning TJ Brodie into big minutes.

[browna]

Backlund had a clear shot from high slot and walking in, and Neal had almost a great play on the pass they just missed from Brodie, both when 4-3, and we are going into OT at worse.

Call a couple calls like high sticks and maybe we win before that.

Smith made some excellent saves as he did the first minutes of Wed game, but people are looking to make issues out of really nothing. The goals tonight were all on legit high quality scoring chances, chances that the Preds seemed to had more of thanks to defensive breakdowns or bad decisions seconds before the chances occurred from the Flames.